The Lucky 13

I don't normally name the drinks I invent--as with most of the food I make, I just throw things together based on the season, what is in my kitchen, and "eyeballing." What I had in my kitchen the night of November 14, when the Penguins played a somewhat discouraging game against the Boston Bruins, was a huge jug of apple cider. I liked the resulting drink lots and wanted to fix it again.

Then Bill Guerin scored a game-tying goal at literally the very...last...second. My mother is an inveterate triskaidekaphobe. When I told her how crazy I've been about Guerin since the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs, she snapped, "What kind of man would wear a number 13 on his jersey?"
"He's a lucky 13," I told her. Boy, Guerin proved me right against the Bruins! Even though he would probably consider this far too girly, that was one hell of a time for him to snap his goal-less streak, and luck doesn't get much better than that.

The Lucky 13

1 ounce bourbon

1 1/2 ounces pomegranate liqueur

About 5-6 ounces apple cider

Dash allspice

Shake bourbon and pomegranate liqueur with 2-3 ice cubes in cocktail shaker. Pour it, ice cubes and all, into a tumbler (plastic's fine). Pour in apple cider until the glass is about full. Add allspice. Stir, then sip.

Since it isn't my objective to kill myself or anyone else, I should probably note that I mean non-alcoholic/sweet apple cider, not hard cider. If I were trying to impress you with my bartending skills, I'd strain out the ice, serve it in a chilled glass tumbler, and garnish it with a few pomegranate seeds. But hey, it's just game night.